Distributing mechanism for typographical machines.



J. R. BURGE$S. DISTRIBUTING MEGHANISM OP TYPOGRAPHIGL MACHINES.

APPLTGATION FILED AUG. 4, 1914.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914,

'narran sfra'rns rafrniar rrrc- JOHN ROBERT BURGESS, 0F BROADHEATH, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO LINOIYPE AND I MACHINERY LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

DISTRIBUTING MECHANISM OF TYPOGRAPHICAL MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Yatent.

Patented Dec. 1, i914.

Application fried August 4, 1914. semi No. '654,912.

To aZZ 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN Ronnn'r BUR- GEss, a subject ot' the King of the, United Kingdom ot' Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Linotype and Machinery Works,

Broadheath, in the county o' Chester, Eng.

land, have invented new and useful Iniprovernents in or Relating to the Distributing Mechanism of 'lypographical Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to typographical machines such as those known under the trade mark Linotype and others of a kindred character and particularly to the devices known as separatorboxes by which the successively leading matrices ot a. line or plurality of matrices descendingby gravity down inclined guides, are, by a pair ot ver-- tically reciprocating dogs, separated from the immediately following matrix preparatory to their being,t engaged by the distributer mechanism which delivers them each into its respective magazine channel. These dogs are usually reciprocated in alternation by'means ot a cani fast on, or operatively connected to, one of the distributer screws. their recpiocations continuing throughout the period of rotation of the said distributor screw, and this quite irrespective of whether or4 not thereare any matrices to be acted upon by the dogs.

As a consequence of the above named continuity of reciprocation much needeless wear and tear of the parts'involved occurs, and the object ot" the present invention is to overcome this difficulty by pioi-iding means whereby the said parts are retained out of operation when no matrices are to be separated by the dogs, and caused to come into operation by matrices approaching those dogs.

above-mentioned separator boxes differ 'from the, ordinary distributer litt boxes in re spe-ct of the tact that `the matrices travel through the former by gravity, whereas iu the latter, each line ot' matrices is niovcfl along guide rails by a-piisher, until the leading matrix reaches a stop, after which each successively leading inatrix is raised b v a matrix litter into engagement. with the dis tributcr screws. ln connection,` with such distributcr lift boxes, means have already been proposed .tor preventing the reciprocation of the matrix lift r, such ine-ans haring It should be here explained thatthe` depended forl their operation more or lessl directly upon the action of the above-inentioned pusher, which, so far as the presentJ invention is concerned, may be entirely ab sent from the machine. present invention, the operation oi' the vertically reciprocating dogs y-is controlled by the matrices to be separated, quite irrespective of the influence on the matrices of any other organ of the machine, I Y I i The invention will now be described hv reference to the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as part of this specilication and read therewith.

In these drawings :-F igurel is a front elevation of a separator box provided with the present improvements and shown as cetached from the typographical machine, and

with a matrix passing through it, and Fig.

3J is an elevation of the saine as seen from the right hand side of Fig. l.

l is the front -wall and 2 the back wall of the separator box which is ot ordinary well known construction and which, when hereinatter referred to as a whole, is identified by the numeral l. rl`he walls l and 2 are provided with the usual inwardly-facing, inclined guides 8 which ser-Ve as tracks along which the lugs ot' the matrices ltravel during the descent of the latter to the vertically reciprocating dogs 5, 6, these dogs serving, as ordinarily, to separate thc successively leading matrices of the line which is, at the time, descending by gravity down those guides; this separation is a step preparatory tothe matrices being engaged by that part of the distributer mechanism which delivers 'them each to its respective magazine channel. .c

The last named partof the distributei mechanism forms yno part of the present iu- -veiitiou, and consequently it has not been included in the accompanying drawings.

'The dogs 5, (l, are reciprocated in alternation, as ordinarily, by means-otl a cam 7 and spring 8 acting anta'goiiistically to each other, the said caiu being rotated directly by one of the distributer screws or by 'other convenient iiieaus. T he cam 7 acts upon a i lever'oi arm 9 (hereinafter referred to as the cani lever) and serves to move it inone direction, while t ic spring S, attached to According to thtl the said canil lever, serves to move it inthe opposite direction. and, during the operation ot the dogs El, to maintain the engagement between that lever and the cam. 'liie two dogs 5, 6, are both connected to the saine lever or levers l10 which as ordinarly are rocked about the pivot 11 by the cam lever 9.

For the purpose of preventing the operation of the parts 5,26, 9 and 10, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a trigger or detent 12 which is capable of engaging, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, with a stud or projection 13 on the cam lever 9, to hold that lever out of reach of the cam Y, this condition of engagement being that which obtains when there are no matrices to be acted upon by the dogs 5, 6, and consequently when'there is no necessity for the latter to be operated. The trigger 12 is pivoted 'at 14 to the adjacent wall of the separator box 1 (it is the wall 2 in the example illustrated) and is provided with a tail 15 extending into the path of the descending matrices et, and the weight of the said trigger and tail is so distributed as to present a preponderance on its lever-engaging end, this preponderance, however, is only such that the weight of the lightest matrix will serve to tilt the trigger l2 and thereby cause it, as shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. l, to release the cam lever which thereafter, in the known manner, is reciprocated by the cam 7 and spring 8, this operation continuing only so long as the oncoming matrices retain the trigger 12 out of engagement with the cam lever 9, the cessation of the supply of such matrices allowing the trigger to again drop into engagement with the stud 1.3 and hold the cam lever 9 out of operative contactwith the cam.

Having described my invention I declare that 'what 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent isz- 1. In a typographical machine, the combination with a separator box through which the matrices pass by gravity and separating dogs adapted to separate each successively leading matrix from the next following inatrix, of means adapted to operate the separating dogs only when matrices are presented to them for separation.

2. 1n a typographical machine, the combination with a separator box through which the matrices pass by gravity and separating dogs adapted to separate each successively leading matrix from the next following matrix, of means adapted to prevent the operation of the separating dogs except when matrices are presented to them for separation.

3. In a typographical machine, the combination with a separator box through which thc matrices pass by gravity and separating dogs adapted to separate each successively leading matrix from the next following matrix, of means controlled by the matrices adapted to prevent the operation of the separating dogs except when matrices are pre Asented to them for separation.

4. In a typographical machine, the combination with a separator box, separating dogs adapted to separate each successively leading matrix from the next following matrix, and,

means adapted to operate the separating dogs, of a movable device actuated by the matrices and adapted to control the operation of the said means.

5. In a typographical machine, the combination with a separator box, separating dogs adapted to separate each successively leading matrix from the next following matrix, a cam and cam lever adapted to operate the separating dogs, and a spring adapted to maintain the cam lever in constant operative contact with the cam, of a movable device released by the matrices, adapted to hold the cam lever out of such operative contact when there are no matrices presented for separation.

6. In a typographical machine, the combination with a separator box, separating dogs adapted to separate each successively leading matrix from the next following matrixla cam and cam lever adapted to operate the said dogs, and a spring adapted to maintain the cam lever in constant operative contact with the cam, of a stud on the said cam lever and a pivotedtrigger released by the matrices, adapted to engage the said stud when there are no matrices presented for separation, and thereby hold the cam lever out of operativc Contact with the cam.

7. In a typographical machine, the combi nation with a separator box, separating dogs adapted to separate each successively' leading matrix from the next following matrix, acam and cam lever adapted to operate the said dogs, and a spring adapted to maintain the cam lever in constant operative contact with the cam, of a stud on the said cam lever, a pivoted trigger adapted to normally engage the stud to holdrthe cam lever out of operative contact with the jcam, and a tail on the trigger extending into the path of the .matrices moving toward the dogs and adapted to be depressed by those matrices to disengage the trigger from the stud.

In a typographical machine, the combination with a separator box, alternately reciprocating separating dogs adapted to separate each successively leading the next following matrix, a cam and am lever adapted to simultaneously move the separating dogs in relatively opposite directions, and a spring adapted to maintain the cam lever in constant operativecontact with the cam, of a movable device released by the matrices, adapted to prevent the op eration of the separating dogs except when matrices are presented to them for separation.

9. ln a typographical machine, the combhy nation wti a Separator box through which the matrices pass by gravity, and means matrix from adapted to separate each successiveiy leading matrix from the ne`xt following one, of means to prevent the operation of the separating means except when matrices are presented for separation.

10. In a typographical machine, the combmaton with distributing mechanism and means for delivering the matrices indi-vidually thereto, of means for preventing the operation of said delivery means, the said pre-O 10 Venting means being controlled exclusively by the matrices.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand n-the resence of two witnesses.

J HN ROBERT BURGESS.

` CHARLES HOLLIWELL,

MALCOLM SMETHURST. 

